Cablevision Alleges Coercion

Cablevision Systems Corp. said Thursday that it would have had to pay Viacom Inc. a penalty of more than $1 billion if it had refused to carry Viacom's lesser-watched networks as part of a new deal it struck with the entertainment company at the end of last year.

Cablevision made the statement as it released a copy of an antitrust lawsuit it filed last week against Viacom, with certain details blacked out.